U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/881,863, filed on Jul. 30, 2007, the entire contents of which have been incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto, disclosed a ballistic-resistant panel that significantly improved threat performance by providing a strike face consisting of a compressed stack of interleaved layers of non-fibrous ultra high molecular weight polyethylene tape. The non-fibrous ultra high molecular weight polyethylene tape is sold under the trade name TENSYLON® and is produced by BAE Systems Tensylon High Performance Materials, Inc., Monroe, N.C. The strike face, which formed at least 25% by weight of the entire panel, was compressed together with a backing layer of cross-plied fibers embedded in resin. Two types of cross-plied fibers were evaluated in the backing layer, including aramid and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers. Several adhesives were found acceptable for adhering together cross-plied layers of Tensylon tape and the level of adhesive required for adhering the layers of Tensylon tape was significantly less than for a comparable panel constructed strictly of high modulus fibers.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/455,279, filed on May 29, 2009, the entire contents of which have been incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto, disclosed additional ballistic-resistant panel constructions including various ratios of non-fibrous ultra high molecular weight polyethylene tape in the strike face to cross-plied polyethylene fibers in the backing layer. The ballistic resistant panels were identified therein as Tensylon/HB26 hybrids. Ballistic resistance was higher for the Tensylon/HB26 hybrids wherein the Tensylon portion comprised at most 30% by weight than for monolithic panels formed of HB26.
Although the hybrid panel construction disclosed in the aforementioned patent application exhibited good resistance against threats, continued tests have provided unexpected and advantageous results. These unexpected results indicate that forming a molded hybrid article consisting of two outer portions of UHMWPE tape and an inner portion of high modulus fibers can provide an additional improvement in survivability.